By Rachel Holliday Smith – DNAinfo.com
An already heated debate over possible new development rules in Crown Heights turned into a racially charged shouting match Wednesday night.
The Community Board 9 meeting — which was supposed to give the public a chance to discuss the shaping of a City Planning Department study about how the neighborhood should be rezoned — devolved into arguments after a local rabbi urged the community to leave race out of the conversation.
Rabbi Eli Cohen of the Crown Heights Jewish Community Council condemned “the rhetoric that’s gone out trying to [set] one neighbor against the other, one race against another, one religion against another,” alluding to recent brochures and emails distributed by the activist group Movement to Protect the People.
One such flier distributed at a CB9 meeting on Jan. 22 blamed “Uncle Toms,” “white developers” and the Jewish community for displacing black people in the neighborhood.
“I implore you,” Cohen added at Wednesday night’s meeting, “you may be very passionate about this issue one way or the other — don’t stick race into it.”
Cohen was immediately shouted down by Alicia Boyd, MTOPP’s leader, who was in turn told to “sit down” and “stop interrupting the meeting” by members of the audience at the St. Francis de Sales School for the Deaf, where the meeting was held.
During her public remarks several minutes later, Boyd forcefully reiterated her group’s concern that land-use changes allowing for larger developments on major streets west of New York Avenue would displace those who live in the neighborhood now.
“It displaces! It displaces,” she said of the idea to rezone the main corridors of Crown Heights. “And we will not be displaced out of our community.”
Boyd did not directly respond to the criticism of MTOPP’s racially charged statements.
Following Boyd, community board member and local blogger Tim Thomas asked MTOPP members to “tone it down” in his remarks before being silenced by the group’s shouting.
“We’ve got people in the neighborhood who are calling people Uncle Toms, [saying] they’re race-baiting Jews, they’re also — I see you right there,” Thomas told Boyd, who was standing a few yards away jeering at him. “You’re the one who called me KKK.”
Councilwoman Laurie Cumbo also joined the fray, describing the communication at recent CB9 meetings on the rezoning issue “disgusting” and “disrespectful,” before calling out Boyd directly.
“Talking over people, talking about people, the accusations that are being made…you can’t substantiate them and you cannot back them up,” she said to Boyd, who booed and shouted throughout Cumbo’s remarks.
“I want to say to you, personally, Alicia: What do you want to have happen here? You want to have fisticuffs right here?”
The community board is currently trying to redraft a letter to the City Planning Department saying what residents do and do not want included in a study of changes to land-use rules in southern Crown Heights and Prospect-Lefferts Gardens. That document was originally sent to City Planning last spring by CB9, but was subsequently voted down by the board in the fall.
CB9 will hold another meeting to discuss the rezoning on Wednesday, Feb. 11, with the location to be determined. The board hopes to finalize its letter about the rezoning study and vote on it at the full board meeting on Feb. 24.
want or need to stay in Nyc consider the Pelham Parkway area of the Bronx quiet safe on avg at least 20% cheaper then crown Heights actual Parks play grounds etc.
Consider moving to Cincinnati Ohio, you can buy a nice home for $175K have a good life (parking is never a problem).
Yankel Goldstein ‘resigned’ huh
Check again he forced out by the thugs in charge,
Seems part if a major plan,,.
Is it just me or did all this only start after tankel goldstein resigned from the board?
No need to artificially keep prices down,
But we the veteran residents don’t have to change the zoning code for the developers, especially that these projects are for outside residents.
The fact that she’s right, and the fact that so many commenters agree, shows how wrong she is to race-bait.
She should be hauled away in cuffs. She’s no better than the racial profiling policemen. In fact worse, because she doesn’t hide it.
this is not a black/white issue at all. it is developers vs. local residents issue. our black neighbors and the jewish community are in the same boat as far as this issue is concerned and any thinking person will realize that. there will always be race baiters such as this alicia boyd who will react as she did rather than use her head. stop letting your hate get the better of you, ma’am, and start thinking for a change…
We’re also suffering from this!
How does buidling large buildings effect the community living around in a bad way. In fact wouldnt it ease the rental market as there will be more units available. No one is being forced to sell.
The only ones that benefit are the rich landlords. Don’t get fooled by their promises. Parking will most definitely get worse and worse. And yes, you will be priced out.
rental and purchase costs cannot be held back artificially.
in every major city these costs have increased dramatically, the only major corrections would come during a depression or if there is over supply.
We probably need to look at establishing a new neighborhood further away to give young families and others in need the opportunity to rent or purchase at reasonable prices.
People living in those areas will be displaced, and it should not be up-zoned. it will make our community way to dense, and we will be living on top of each other!
Better spread out, and not have all these yuppies on our heads!
She’s technically right.
Sounds like Alicia Boyd will end up playing right into the hands of these supposed evil developers. My family is renters at risk of being screwed by these new projects and my Grandmother is living through that hell but her methods r dumb.
Its important to not automatically assume that these fancy building owners (most of them frum yidden) are on our side, ultimately we are in the same boat as most of the veteran non Jewish residents of this neighborhood and risk being priced out.